


two tigers

by neopunch (caihongs)



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: 00line featured briefly, Alternate Universe - High School, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, Teen Romance, Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas is Whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23289067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caihongs/pseuds/neopunch
Summary: Wong Yukhei would gladly jump into a live volcano if Huang Renjun asked. The temperature wouldn’t even come close to how his body heats up when the younger so much as smiles at him.Alternatively, how Pretty Mark Lee catalyses Yukhei's confession.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 14
Kudos: 111





	two tigers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hoeunki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/gifts).



> title from the chinese nursery rhyme called 'two tigers' - just for that Nostalgia factor + also because when i was younger i assumed the tigers were in love anyway 
> 
> also inspired by this chinese proverb: 在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝 (birds flying in the sky as one; branches growing on the earth as one) it's a wish for conjugal bliss apparently according to [this website](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/learning-chinese/chinese-sayings.htm)
> 
> for dearest erika, this was a long time coming and quite different from the original but i hope you still enjoy it!

Wong Yukhei would gladly jump into a live volcano if Huang Renjun asked. The temperature wouldn’t even come close to how his body heats up when the younger so much as smiles at him.

(“Gross”

“Shut up Dejun,”)

He’s in love with his eyes, the way they glitter like diamonds when he sings. When he dances and his body sweeps the ground, twisting in shapes that seem impossible to manoeuvre. He’s in love with his tiny hands, how they create masterpieces and make Yukhei feel all soft and warm inside when slipped into his own larger ones, fingers intertwining like cogs clicking in place. He’s in love with his thirst for knowledge and his natural intellect, his endless passion and determination, his twinkly laugh, his skin that glistens gold in the sunlight.

Wong Yukhei loves Huang Renjun enough to be okay with him falling in love with someone else.

  
  
  


“Xuxi, greet our new neighbours!”

  
  


Xuxi whispers a tiny _nín hăo_ as he bows his head, Mandarin sitting awkwardly on his tongue and the Huangs smile at him, nudging their own son in front of them.

  
  


“Renjun, say hello to the Huangs!” 

  
  


A shorter bright-eyed boy grins at him, crooked smile illuminating his entire face as he bows back to Xuxi’s parents.

  
  


“You boys can play with each other, while us adults…”

  
  


Xuxi doesn’t get to hear the rest because Renjun grabs his hand and starts sprinting towards the other direction to who knows where, dragging him along as the wind whips past their faces. He only manages to wave to his parents, who wave back, his mother laughing at his terrified expression, while his dad only winks before they link arms and start skipping into the Huangs’ household. 

‘Some parents they are,’ Xuxi thinks bitterly to himself, still being towed along by this stranger as they enter a park and Renjun lets go of his hand, that crooked smile of his still shining brighter than the sun. 

  
  


“Xuxi… _ge_ , right?”

  
  


Xuxi doesn’t even have time to breathe when Renjun sits down on the park bench, patting the spot next to him.

  
  


“Yeah, probably, ‘m twelve this year,” he manages to heave out, and Renjun’s eyes grow comically wide.

  
  


“You’re twelve?! You’re only one year older than me!” the younger gives him a onceover, and then looks back at himself and frowns. Xuxi only giggles, and notices the strong dialect present in the younger’s voice. Cute. 

  
  


“I’m sure you’ll grow,” Xuxi says softly, Mandarin coming out stilted from lack of use, but he hopes his telltale smile isn’t too obvious.

  
  


“Don’t give me false hope,” the boy scowls before cocking his head at Xuxi, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

  
  


“Xuxi-ge, are you uncomfortable speaking Mandarin?”

  
  


Xuxi flushes red.

  
  


“I’m-I’m not confident in it, my dad usually speaks to me in Cantonese, and my mum is Thai, so we don’t really speak one language at home,” Xuxi mumbles and Renjun’s eyes widen in curiosity. 

  
  


“So you speak Cantonese, Mandarin and Thai?! That’s amazing ge! I can only speak Korean and Mandarin, but my Korean is really bad!” His hands fly in wild gestures, amazement seeping through his voice in the form of a high pitch, teetering on a squeal.

  
  


“My Thai isn’t that good either, but Mum speaks to me in English, and sometimes a few Cantonese words and phrases she’s picked up from Dad,” Xuxi is still blooming red with the amount of praise Renjun layers onto his ego regarding his subpar trilingual tongue. Now that he has to pick up another one, he’s scared that amazement is going to bleed away fast as soon as Renjun realises that Xuxi isn’t all that he was cracked up to be.

  
  


“You know like, five million languages then! Five million and one soon! Don’t worry, we can learn Korean together,” Renjun, in all his wide-grinned, tanned glory, is giddy with some sort of bubbling energy upon learning this information that Xuxi’s never shared with anyone. His classmates had all spoken to him in Cantonese because there was no reason to ask and question otherwise. 

It’s a new experience, having someone so ecstatic to learn about you. It makes his insides go to mush, all tingly and warm like drinking soup from the rim of the bowl in the thick of winter and the way it soaks up in your chest. This must be what you feel when you make a new friend, Xuxi decides right then and there. Eleven (almost twelve) year-old Xuxi categorises that sensation as what happens when you make a new friend.

He doesn’t know that that feeling will soon be associated with only a certain snaggletoothed boy with curious eyes and skin that blooms like flowers in spring. 

  
  


“Um, Renjun,”

  
  


“Yeah Xuxi-ge?”

  
  


“My name in, um _guǎngdōng huà_ , is _Yukhei_ ,”

  
  


Renjun’s mouth forms a variety of shapes as he tries to sound it out. Xuxi smiles, understanding all too well how odd it must feel.

  
  


“Okay, _Yukhei_ ge? Would it be _ge_?”

  
  


“It would be _go_ , but like a,” Xuxi tries to enunciate it well.

  
  


“ _Gorrr_ kind of sound? You get me?”

  
  


Renjun furrows his brows, and again tries to let the noises come out naturally.

  
  


“ _Yukhei_ , uh, _gorrr_?” the younger bites his lip, and Xuxi feels his mouth stretch out towards his ears.

  
  


“You got it! Look who’s the language expert now,”

  
  


“Shut up _gor_ ,” Renjun punches him lightly, his tooth peeking from the edge of his lips as he pouts and Xuxi snorts.

  
  


“But um, Xuxi ge?”

  
  


“Yes?”

  
  


“Would you like me to call you Yukhei?” Renjun’s eyes flitter away from his, darting onto the ground and the warm feeling comes back tenfold, spreading from his chest and throughout his whole body.

  
  
  


“It’s okay Renjun! I just, I have a few names already like Lucas, my English name, and Xuxi, so um, Yukhei is just the one that I—” 

  
  


It’s hard trying to remember the words that mean ‘identify’, and ‘are a part of me’ so Renjun fills in the gaps for him.

  
  


“You call yourself?” 

  
  


Xuxi nods aggressively and Renjun giggles, a soft sound, compared to Xuxi’s own, explosive one.

  
  


“Okay, I see,” the younger ponders for a moment, staring into the spotless sky and Xuxi wonders how on Earth they began discussing his complex identity only an hour into getting to know each other. 

  
  


“C’mon, let’s go home, though I do think your parents could leave you by yourself for a little while longer,” Renjun jumps from the bench with a glint in his eye and Xuxi fights the smile creeping across his cheeks.

  
  


“I’d like to think they’d remember their son after an hour at least,”

  
  


“Don’t count on it!” Renjun cackles, quickening his pace and Xuxi furrows his eyebrows.

  
  


“Those are your elders and new neighbours you’re badmouthing here!”

  
  


Renjun’s tinkling laugh echoes as he makes haste down the sidewalk and Xuxi races to catch up, a grin permanently etched on his face.

His mum is already out on the porch, admiring the Huangs’ herb garden in the front yard as they lean forward against the fence, flushed red and laughing to the high heavens.

  
  


“ _Yukhei, why are you so red?!_ ” His mother murmurs in a mixture of Thai and English as she caresses his cheeks with her smooth hands, and Xuxi can’t bring his mouth to make words when Renjun is hiccuping with laughter beside him. 

  
  


“I made him race me, sorry Mrs Huang!” Renjun bows, lifting his head up only to expose the sheepish grin plastered on his face.

  
  


Xuxi’s dad and Renjun’s parents emerge from the house, intrigued, by the ruckus outside and Xuxi watches painfully as his dad’s face morphs into one of a smug smirk.

  
  


“ _Wong Yukhei, have you made a friend already? I’m so proud of you!_ ” His dad’s trademark ‘I-make-fun-of-my-son-because-I-love-him’ humour shines through in the language only they understand and he can see the younger boy trying to decipher the unknown words in his peripheral vision.

  
  


“ _Very funny Dad_ ,” Xuxi fights the urge to roll his eyes whilst the other Huangs stare at them curiously.

  
  


“Thanks for entertaining our son Renjun! We have to unpack but we hope you boys can play with each other soon!” His dad switches back into fluent Mandarin in an instant and Xuxi groans.

  
  


“We’re not little kids Dad!” He blurts out indignantly, awkward Mandarin prominent as ever and a chortle of laughter resonates from Renjun and his parents.

  
  


“Okay, we hope you guys can ‘hang’ with each other soon!” Renjun’s mum adds unnecessary air quotations with her fingers and Renjun mirrors Xuxi’s groan.

  
  


“Bye Renjun!”

  
  


“Bye _Yukhei gor_!”

  
  


If his dad catches the blush that colours his cheeks almost instantly, he doesn’t question it.

  
  


Yukhei learns so much about the snaggletoothed (which was soon to disappear to Yukhei’s dismay) boy over the course of the next few years, simply because there isn’t any other option but to spend whatever free time he has with the younger. They bond over moving to a foreign country and all of the fears that come with it, of friends back home that they miss dearly, of times where the longing for home seeps deep into their bones and they wiped tears with the edges of their duvets, unaware that just across the fence, the other was feeling the exact same way too. 

He liked to imagine a universe where he was right there with Renjun before either of them moved to Korea. Stargazing together when the nights were long in frigid north-east China, much unlike the tropical humidity and temperate climates Yukhei was used to, burning his tongue while eating Renjun’s grandmother’s infamous dumplings after school, skidding across frozen rivers in his boots, chasing clumsily after his nimble friend who slid across the ice with grace, relishing in that twinkly laugh and snaggletoothed smile that followed. 

They often shared stories of their childhood back in their hometowns, where Yukhei spoke of the vivid colours and bright, ever glowing lights that painted Hong Kong, even with its grey, squashed buildings and the permanent trill of honking and streetlights that constantly echoed in the city. Of school and the wooden tables with the underdesks where he’d hide his snacks in class, and the bathrooms he took many a mirror selfie in to his friends’ dismay. Yet despite this, Renjun’s stories intrigued him to no end, not only because he had never known anything outside of the city, but because of the way the younger’s eyes would glimmer like the stars he described in the sky outside his grandparents’ home when he reminisced his childhood in the motherland. The lights that shrouded Yukhei’s home couldn’t quite compare to what glowed from within Renjun when he spoke of Jilin, its wonders of nature, which Yukhei could argue included the younger as well. 

He found himself wanting to learn more every time they parted ways, opening the doors to their respective homes and reluctantly waving goodbye as the moon rose high in the dark night sky and their parents would have to tug them back inside. 

Yukhei had been waiting for this since Renjun entered the school hallways for the first time, unsure of where to put his feet and place his hands, overwhelmed by the largeness of it all. He’d already gone through all the Big School jitters and experienced his firsts (first lunch order, first scrape, first late slip, first detention) without the younger, so naturally, he was excited to show Renjun the ropes the next year, experience his firsts again with his best friend since what felt like the beginning of time. They could eat at the cafeteria together, sit on the grass and talk about aliens, play basketball at the courts where Yukhei would let Renjun win even though he always insisted on a _“fair game, c’mon Yukhei!”_

Also, when Yukhei left for high school, leaving behind a sniffly middle schooler, he swore to himself he would spend every waking minute with Renjun. Renjun was the coolest boy he’d ever met and he’d be a terrible best friend if he didn’t make an effort every day to tell him. 

So the first day the scrawny fifteen year olds entered through the doors of the local high school, Yukhei marched his way to a mousy brunet and yelled:

  
  


“HUANG RENJUN I’VE MISSED YOU!”

  
  


And the rest was, history. Renjun gave him silent treatment for almost two weeks before he caved, unsure of where the Social Sciences staffroom was and Yukhei only let himself soak in the victory, held Renjun’s sweaty hand and dropped him off.

  
  


“You have English third period right? Let’s eat lunch together!” and Renjun only sputtered in reply. 

  
  


Yukhei had forcibly joined Renjun to his hip, but by the deep blush in his cheeks and subsequent quirk in his grin when Yukhei walks him to his doorstep despite them being next door neighbours, or when Yukhei drops off a steaming box of rice, steamed vegetables, and sauteed beef to him in the library, or when Yukhei barges into the freshman’s classroom to announce that he’s coming over for dinner whether Renjun likes it or not, Yukhei can say for certain that Little Huang isn’t too mad about it.

  
  


Well, until Mark Lee happens.

  
  


Mark Lee was in Yukhei’s grade, but the deputy figured that Renjun, of all people, was a student that not only mirrored Mark’s interests ( _astronomy_ , Yukhei scowled to himself) but also the subjects they took. So despite Renjun being a year younger, his impressive school involvement and dedication to the school community made him perfect buddy material for Mark Lee. Pretty Mark Lee from Canada, with his big eyes and carved out cheekbones and high pitched giggle and floppy black hair. Even if he rapped, liked the NBA, and made the track team, Yukhei despised the guy in all his awesomeness. But Renjun didn’t. Renjun sung praises about Mark’s lyrical genius, his athleticism, his big brain and how he has post notifications on for NASA on Twitter, and his anecdotes from Canada.

  
  


_“Yuk’, let’s go to Tim Hortons if we ever go to Canada! Mark says I have to try something from there at least once in my life!”_

  
  


_Yukhei doesn’t get hung up on the fact that Renjun wants to go to Canada with him some day in the distant future, but that Mark Lee told Renjun that he should try the Canadian Starbucks._

  
  


_“And I know you think it’s Canadian Starbucks but it’s not! It’s like… fast food! We like fast food!” Renjun’s sparkling eyes get Yukhei’s head in a spin and he placates Renjun with a ‘let’s add that to our Google doc bucket list’ and the smile on Renjun’s face is worth Yukhei swallowing his insecurities about Pretty Canadian Mark Lee. Even though it makes him want to explode._

  
  


See, Yukhei didn’t like marinating in his loving-Renjun-a-bit-more-than-just-a-friend thoughts, but he didn’t have to worry about Lee Donghyuck, Lee Jeno, Na Jaemin, or even nightmare-on-legs Liu Yangyang when Renjun introduced them to Yukhei, or as Renjun would argue, Yukhei introduced himself first before any of the poor freshmen had a chance to utter a word. 

But again, Renjun never looked at his friends with these heart-shaped eyes or skipped whenever he saw them in the corridors. 

  
  


“Dude, he’s just being nice to Mark, as _you_ should be as well, you guys would get along so well!” Kunhang says as he throws a fry at Yukhei, hitting him square in between the eyes. 

  
  


“Exactly! It’s getting tiring having to hang out with Mark without you,” Dejun pipes in, taking the cucumber slices from Yukhei’s plate to add to his towering pile. 

  
  


“I know, Mark is like the _coolest_ guy to ever walk our hallways and that we’d get along just fine, but Little Huang is straight up _googly-eyes_ for him and I hate it!”

  
  


“You hate it because you want him to look at you like that and you just won’t admit it to yourself, loser,” Yeri pipes up from the table next to theirs and Suhyun makes a noise in agreement. 

  
  


The ‘oooh’s and ‘she got you dude’ coming from Dejun and Kunhang are totally unnecessary. Even Minhyuk and Youngkyun look at him imploringly and now it feels like his whole cohort is against him.

  
  


“Ugh, I hate being an insecure fool!” Yukhei slams his forehead onto the table and Dejun only rubs his back.

  
  


“Can I have the rest of your fries?”

  
  


“And your cucumbers?”

  
  


Yukhei leans on the school gates, battered Nike backpack slung over his shoulder as he waits for Renjun to come out. The sun is setting faster and faster as they approach winter and Yukhei reminds himself to text Renjun to wear a coat tomorrow.

  
  


He spots the brunet running towards him, arms full of binders and tote bags and pens, and grins. He looks extra cute when he’s frazzled.

  
  


“Hey Renjunnie! I was thinking we could play on my switch, I just got a new game—” 

  
  


Renjun bites his lip and pouts, shoulders sinking.

  
  


“I’m so sorry Yukhei, I promised to help Mark out with his research project today, he hasn’t visited the public library before so I said I would help him out.” It’s not so much that Renjun is upset about missing out on hanging out with Yukhei today, because they always do without fail, but that he forgot to let Yukhei know that he wasn’t going to today. Renjun shouldn’t have to be upset just because he forgot to let Yukhei know. Sure, people let their friends know when they’re unable to meet up out of common courtesy, but it’s a first for them. They’ve never not hung out after school, but best friends should be allowed to do other things than give all their time to each other. Yukhei has more questions to answer himself about how he feels, but he can’t stand seeing Renjun sad at all. As Kunhang likes to remind him, his sad-Renjun tolerance is nonexistent so he only smiles at the younger and nods.

  
  


“That’s okay, we have tomorrow!” Renjun visibly brightens at that, and fixes up his bag straps, which had gotten tangled underneath his school blazer in his sprint towards Yukhei. 

  
  


“I’m sorry _gor_ , I’ll let you know when I get home, if you’re not busy and still want to hang out?” Knowing Renjun, the boy is going to be at the library for the whole night, poring over his own notes and helping Mark navigate the ancient photocopier as well as accidentally doing half of Mark’s project whether he realises or not. Yukhei knows because he was a Mark Lee once, except the only thing they had in common was that they had never entered the town library before in their lives. Yet Grade Nine Renjun still helped his bumbling best friend learn how to use the photocopier and how to borrow books because Yukhei was approaching his first chemistry exam with no absolutely no clue what the four types of chemical bonds were. Yukhei was a Mark Lee once, but he knows Renjun doesn’t like him like he likes Mark Lee. 

But again, Wong Yukhei loves Huang Renjun enough to be okay with him falling in love with someone else. He reminds himself of this fact every single day and he convinces himself that it hurts less each time. 

Yukhei eats up Renjun’s time because he’s selfish and wants him to himself. He knows Donghyuck complains about how ‘Injun is booked out today, as per usual’ to be countered by Jeno and Jaemin giving him a look that Yukhei can interpret perfectly well, and Yangyang just shrugs with a, ‘Are you really gonna ask him to ditch? Are you going to be _that_ person ‘Hyuck?’

  
  


It was always just Yukhei and Renjun. Big Huang and Little Huang. The two boys who live next door to each other who talk about alien existence and missing home. About the future and travelling across the world and taking road trips to the beach when Renjun gets that dog his parents have been hinting for ages and Yukhei gets his license. 

Now that Pretty Mark Lee is in the picture, Yukhei is not sure if he belongs in the foreground anymore. 

  
  
  


“Okay to print now, after you uploaded it online, now all you do is swipe your card and you’re good to go!” Renjun snorts at Mark’s gasp as he indeed, swipes his card, and the printer starts to churn out his document despite the concerning sounds it coughs out as it does.

  
  


“Woah, this is so cool!” Mark points back at the printer, trying to keep his shock to a minimum as the old lady playing Mahjong on the library iPad death stares him, and Renjun pats him on the back.

  
  


“Only the most advanced technology in our town’s public institutions, my friend,” Renjun scoops up his own homework and zips up his pencil case as Mark clips his study together with Renjun’s Moomin bulldog clip. 

  
  


‘Um, thanks for helping me out today Renjun, you really didn’t have to,” Mark says as they walk out and Renjun frowns, waving the elder off with his free hand.

  
  


“It’s my job to take care of you until you get settled in, and if anything, you’re my friend Mark, seriously don’t mention it.”

  
  


“I— fine, but thank you anyway, I know you skipped out on Yukhei to help me out so that means a lot,” Renjun pivots on his heel with an inquisitive look on his face.

  
  


“How did you know that I was supposed to hang out with Yukhei today?” Mark sends him a curious look in return.

  
  


“Dejun told me, but literally the whole grade knows that you guys are confirmed besties, biffles, two peas in a pod, all that jazz,” Mark says, as if it’s a law of the universe. 

  
  


“Huh, I mean, I do hang out with him everyday so it’s not that big of a deal,” Renjun says to reassure himself more so than Mark, and Mark throws his hands up in surrender.

  
  


“I didn’t mean anything bad by that! You guys are best friends and that’s known by everyone, so it does mean a lot that you helped me out today, don’t sweat it Renjun,”

  
  


The walk home is pretty silent from then on, and Mark says goodbye as they part ways with a guilty smile, realising the gravity of his offhanded comment on Renjun’s entire demeanour.

  
  


Renjun speedwalks home, desperate to ask Yukhei all these questions but before he can shoot the elder a text, he’s met with those big brown eyes leaning against his front gate with a lopsided grin on his face.

  
  


“Hi Little Huang, I was thinking we should just chill out today because I seriously gorged myself on Mum’s _yún tūn miàn_ -”

  
  


“Yukhei, does everyone in your grade know that we’re best friends?”

  
  


“Um, well the moment I yelled at you on your first day of high school, I kind of asked for it,” Yukhei looks sheepish and Renjun sighs.

  
  


“It’s a random question I know, but Mark just said that he was really appreciative that I took out time to help him when I had prior engagements, like hanging out with you. I didn’t realise everyone knew about our, uh, tradition.”

  
  


This is not the conversation Renjun imagined having at eight at night in the middle of their street, but he has this gurgling sensation in his gut that just won’t quit.

  
  


“Is-is that a bad thing Renjun? That everyone knows?” Yukhei never sounds scared, or worried, or afraid. Not like this, all hunched and half his size, with his top lip quivering ever so slightly.

  
  


“No! Of course not _gor_ , I just, it’s strange hearing about your friendship from a new student’s point of view is all,” Renjun straightens up and loops his arm through Yukhei’s, pushing down his queasiness at the sight of his best friend looking crushed.

  
  


“Now wipe that frown off and carry my textbooks for me please, I am starving and tired and ready to smash you in Mario Kart.” 

  
  


Yukhei’s trademark smile returns in a heartbeat and he grabs all of Renjun’s things in one arm and almost drags him straight through the front door if it wasn’t for Mrs Wong opening it before Renjun made a Renjun-shaped hole in it. Renjun’s training himself to not think and worry as much, and it’s easy, having a support system like Donghyuck, Jeno, Jaemin, and Yangyang, who lift him up when he’s in a slump and reassure him every step of the way, whether he asks for it or not. And Yukhei. His beacon of light through every storm and tempest, who makes it his priority to make sure Renjun is always happy. But it’s concerning when Yukhei doesn’t seem to hang out with his own friends, people from his own grade, because he’s busy tending to Renjun. Making sure Renjun eats lunch, that he’s bundled up when it’s cold, that he isn’t getting too bogged down by his grades. So much that Dejun and Kunhang don’t bother asking Yukhei what he’s doing after school because they, as well as the whole grade now, knows he’s preoccupied. 

Renjun is eating up Yukhei’s time and effort, but he doesn’t want to stop because he likes the attention and the affection. Likes that he walks him to and from school, that he announced to the entire school that he missed Huang Renjun, despite Renjun’s actions speaking otherwise. Maybe Renjun is selfish and maybe, he likes Yukhei more than he should. He knows in his heart that Yukhei needs to divide that undivided care and affection for others. Too much pampering makes Renjun a spoilt boy and he’s had that for far too long now. 

So Mark Lee dropped a bombshell on him tonight, and as Yukhei screams his way to first place, Princess Peach zooming over the checkered finish line, Renjun so badly wants to kiss his silly smile off his face. But he won’t, because Renjun won’t ask for things he can’t have, like Yukhei’s big heart which has space for more than just Renjun occupying its entirety. 

  
  
  


So what it’s taken Yukhei almost five years to come to terms with the fact that yes, he is very much in love with Renjun. And maybe Renjun is love with Pretty Mark Lee who raps and radiates ‘dorky but cool’ chic and is everything that Yukhei isn’t. But every time he sees Renjun and thinks ‘wow it’s the love of my life’ before anything else, the urge to spit it out intensifies, fueling this fire that sears in his belly. Yukhei is terrible with secrets but this might be the one that truly gets him into trouble. 

It doesn’t help when Mark Lee is such a nice boy, who’s perfect for Renjun, and honestly, Yukhei is probably a little bit in love with him too— He’s a Soundcloud rapper and is pretty cute, with his messy black curls and thin gold-rimmed glasses that always slip off his nose. If Yukhei was not 100% devoted to Renjun, Mark Lee would be a close contender for his heart. 

  
  


So he tells all of this to Dejun and Kunhang, his besties, his ride or dies, his Canto Comrades, and all he is met with is,

  
  


“So, you want to confess to Renjun, but you think Renjun likes Mark, but you also think they’d be great together and you think you could _also_ be crushing on Mark.” Dejun concludes after a prolonged chew of his sweet and sour pork. 

  
  


“Yeah! Finally someone gets it!” 

  
  


“ _Yuk_ ’, I’m not really sure what you’re asking of us.” Kunhang has confusion branded on his forehead and Yukhei heaves. 

  
  


“So should I confess? Is this worth it when I know it’s bound to end up with me ruining my friendship with Renjun and also potentially inflaming my very rational aversion but strange attraction to Mark Lee?” It’s pretty simple in Yukhei’s eyes.

  
  


“Wong Yukhei, you know, if you maybe got to know Mark instead of avoiding him like your calculus homework, or asked him politely, you would know for a fact that he only thinks of Renjun as a friend,” Kunhang says and underneath those long bangs of his, Yukhei wonders why his best friend is acting so joyous at Renjun’s demise. 

  
  


“Oh my God, Renjun is going to be devastated—”

  
  


“Dude, I’m _dating_ Mark Lee,” Dejun says as he throws down his chopsticks and Yukhei’s eyes triple in size.

  
  


“You- _what_?! Why did you never tell me? I- he’s only been at school for like two weeks?! Dejun! I’m so confused!” Yukhei tries his best to whisper-yell and several students turn around to stare at their table.

  
  


“Maybe because you’ve made it clear that you don’t like hearing about Mark Lee, even though you rave about how cool he is all the time and I do appreciate it but, Yukhei, I’m being serious when I say that Renjun doesn’t have eyes for anyone but you, which by now, I thought would be clear enough to you,”

  
  


Renjun with his newly dyed hair that sent Yukhei into shock when he walked out of his house that morning, walks into the cafeteria and grins when he meets Yukhei’s gaze, Mark in tow, who blooms like a rose when Dejun waves at him. 

  
  


“Also we’ve been at school for almost eight months already, and we wrote each other songs for our birthdays, but I couldn’t tell you any of that in case you combusted at the words ‘Mark Lee’,” Dejun has resumed picking at the remaining pieces of his lunch while Kunhang just rolls his eyes at him. 

  
  


“We weren’t lying when we said you guys would get along, and you would agree if you just hung out once in a while and didn’t spend all your time hanging out with and pining over Renjun. So much so that this year marks the first time he’s spent an afternoon doing something else than hanging out with you, be that going to the public library to help the new guy use the library printer I think we would all be on the same page.” Kunhang swoops in with the scathing remarks and it feels like getting kicked in the stomach. 

  
  


“Yuk’, we’re not trying to attack you for being in love and wanting to spend time with him, but I wouldn’t be the first one to think that if you guys set up boundaries by, I don’t know, _telling_ each other how you feel towards each other, you could also save some time for your friends, and getting to know their significant others.” 

  
  


Yukhei has always known that Dejun and Kunhang have only wanted what was best for him, since they first started middle school together and realised that apart from sharing the same mother tongue and maths class, they would go to the ends of the Earth for each other, that they would never choose to hurt him. Yet, knowing that they were fully cognizant of Yukhei’s emotions and behaviour, understood just how deeply it was all rooted, but finally had to come to the realisation that they had to voice the fact that they wanted to spend time with him outside of school, like what normal friends do, to express to him their own feelings, hurts him anyways. That he was so blinded, so intensely focused on this tunnel vision circled on one boy with silver hair and a beaming smile, that his loved ones were pushed into the periphery.

It’s clear that they both didn’t want to segue into this important conversation in the middle of their school canteen, but Yukhei can’t blame them for choosing the only time he ever sees them to have it.

  
  


“ _I’m sorry, I never realised—”_ The decision to speak in Cantonese is deliberate, and by the way the two simultaenously wrap their arms around him, one around his neck and the other around his waist, they understand.

  
  


“ _It’s okay silly, we just wanted to let you know,_ ” Dejun squeezes the base of his neck and Kunhang tugs him in a little tighter.

  
  


His brothers above everything else. Yukhei aches now, but he aches a little less when Dejun tells him, 

  
  


“So, first things first, we help you plan your confession and you need to be properly introduced to my boyfriend.” 

  
  


Yukhei learns that Kunhang got himself cuffed with none other than nightmare-on-legs Liu Yangyang, although that’s only been a ‘recent thing’, while Dejun and Mark have been dating for almost three months already, over taro milk tea with pearls. Mark is hesitant to talk to Yukhei when Dejun nudges them to face each other at Gong Cha, terrified of what is to come next despite his boyfriend holding his hand the whole way through, only to burst out into his distinct unbridled laughter when Kunhang lets him know why Yukhei was so hostile (as hostile as Wong Yukhei could be anyway) to Mark in the first place.

  
  


“You thought Renjun had a thing for me?! I mean that’s a compliment for sure, but he’s only got eyes for you Yukhei, I swear on that,” Mark Lee grins once he’s regained himself to Yukhei’s absolute mortification, and gives him a tiny pat on the arm.

  
  


“If I know him even a fraction as well you do, I think he would appreciate it immensely if he heard it directly from you,” 

  
  


Yukhei appreciates the honesty and the genuine look in Mark’s eyes when he tells him. When he texted Renjun that afternoon with a ‘ _guess it’s my turn to bail… i’m sorry! going out w kunhang, dejun, and mark 2day :’)’_ and Renjun replied back almost immediately with ‘ _omg don’t apologise! have fun w ur friends ^^_ ’, he wonders whether Renjun shared the same sentiments as his best friends all this time. 

  
  


Now that sets off a whole new spiral in Yukhei’s brain and he refuses to acknowledge it until he gets home, next door to Huang Renjun. Right now, he is determined to get to know his best friend’s boyfriend and stay present.

  
  


“Hey babe, you know Yukhei almost had a crush on you too? It was so adorable, he said that you were pretty cute and he would totally understand why Renjun would like you because you have this endearing head of hair and high cheekbones and you rap—”

  
  


Yukhei tunes the rest out by slurping loudly on his pearls and if Mark looks at him with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks when they part ways, he is going to duly ignore it. 

  
  


Speaking of ignoring, that is what he’s _not_ going to do with his feelings for Renjun. That’s right, feelings. Pesky chemicals in his brain that go ballistic whenever he thinks about Renjun and his altruism and small hands and determination that only draws Yukhei further in. Sure, maybe he caught feelings the moment they went to the park and Renjun called him Yukhei for the first time. And what? Twelve-year-old Yukhei wouldn’t own it but seventeen-year-old Yukhei will! In about twenty minutes when he arrives. 

  
  


That goes spectacularly Wrong.

  
  


Renjun for one, is in a mood when he comes over for dinner. Yukhei’s parents don’t mention it but the tension is palpable across the dining room, as Yukhei struggles to get more than a one-worded answer from the younger. Renjun insists on washing the dishes with a threat in his tone that gets Yukhei backed into a corner, and his parents give him a look that screams ‘ _talk to him_ ’. So Yukhei puts his big boy pants on and when Renjun dries the last dish, Yukhei stops him in his tracks.

  
  


“What’s up Little Huang?” Yukhei doesn’t have a tolerance for angry-Renjun either.

  
  


“Nothing,” is his curt reply, almost glaring up at Yukhei and Yukhei has never felt so dismal while looking at his best friend.

  
  


“Renjun, you really think you can lie to me? That’s almost offensive,” Yukhei doesn’t waste time and marches Renjun by the shoulders and sits him onto the couch. 

  
  


“ _Gor_ , seriously I’m fine, it’s just—” Renjun huffs and the tension stringent in his shoulders snaps instantly as he slams his head against the back of the couch.

  
  


“Hey hey, tell me what happened,” Yukhei shuffles closer to Renjun and pushes his arm behind Renjun’s neck, hand reaching over to squeeze his arm. Renjun curls his body in and rests his head on Yukhei’s shoulder.

  
  


“You know how Donghyuck and I always banter and fight but it’s never serious? We’ve never had a falling out and I can trust him with anything.” Renjun’s voice is soft with vulnerability Yukhei hasn’t heard in a while. His hand moves to card through Renjun’s silver hair and he aches to tug him even closer.

  
  


“Well, we had our first real fight today. After school, we went out for snacks and I knew something had been bothering him this entire day so I asked him about it, and turns out, it was about his crush on Jeno _and_ Jaemin.” Yukhei fails to mask his surprise and Renjun makes a noise of agreement.

  
  


“Right? Like I knew something was up with him when he kept looking at them at lunch, with this sad sad almost teary gleam in his eyes, but I never knew which one it was directed to and it turns out it was directed at both.” Yukhei leans in closer and Renjun moves to give him a bit more space. ‘No! I want to be closer to you!’ Yukhei’s demon voice yells but he ignores it and continues to give Renjun his full attention.

  
  


“So first, it was about how he was certain they didn’t like him back the same way, and that he was never going to fit in, considering Jeno and Jaemin have been friends since diapers and are probably soul-bonded at this point. Naturally, I told him that he should talk to them first, and that it was going to be scary but these feelings and emotions he was experiencing were only going to escalate the longer he let them stew in his mind before he said or did something he was going to regret.” Yukhei also ignores how close this hits home.

  
  


“You know what he said to me? He told me he never asked for my opinion and that I wouldn’t understand and should solve my own pressing issues before trying to fix someone else’s, like what the fuck?!” Renjun is fuming at this point and thrashes around in Yukhei’s embrace before he settles down and stares at Yukhei like a kicked puppy.

  
  


“Do I have pressing issues Yuk’? Was I wrong in trying to help him? If he had something to bring up to me, I wished he did it in a nicer way, instead of yelling at me and leaving me by myself at the cafe, feeling like shit.” Renjun looks so despondent and miserable and Yukhei wants to give him all the validation he needs and deserves after being treated like that by someone, his best friend at that. In the form of kisses. On the mouth. Even at this present moment, when Renjun needs his support more than ever, Yukhei can’t fight his tiny, impulsive demon from infiltrating his mind. No thoughts, head empty, just Renjun. 

  
  


‘No! Don’t do it Yukhei, or you’re gonna hate yourself for it,’ Yukhei tells himself and doesn’t see Renjun staring at him curiously.

  
  


“Don’t do what?” 

  
  


Good Lord. 

  
  


“Haha, was I talking out loud?” 

  
  


Yukhei is so done for. Renjun won’t leave this alone until they’re ten seconds away from their graves if he doesn’t tell him.

  
  


“Yukhei… is there something _you_ want to say?” Renjun has distanced himself even further, to give himself and Yukhei breathing room and Yukhei laments at the loss of warmth before the fact that he has no other choice but to say it. 

  
  


“I— I think you should ask Donghyuck what he means by that,” is what he spits out in the end, after a prolonged silence.

  
  


“That I have pressing issues? Honestly, I know you’re right but I’m in no mood to talk to him after the way he treated me today.” Renjun goes back to crossing his legs and arms and frowning deeply, his eyebrows set in a harsh line across his forehead. ‘Thank you God’ is what Yukhei mouths to the ceiling. 

  
  


“I know ‘Jun, give yourself time until you’re ready and Donghyuck was wrong in the way he spoke to you so he’s probably feeling very remorseful right now and finding all the ways and words to describe how awfully sorry he is, trust me,” Yukhei’s heart is positively entrenched in his throat right now, as he struggles to shove back his own words (‘Renjun I like, no I love you more than a friend!’ Tiny Demon screams).

  
  


“You think?” Renjun looks up from his hands and the hope in his eyes is something Yukhei wants to immortalise in gold.

  
  


“I’m positive, when have I ever been wrong Little Huang?” 

  
  


“Yukhei, I don’t know if you want me to list them all,” Renjun’s eyes are now visibly brighter with a mirth Yukhei is way more familiar with and he sighs in relief. Yukhei: 1, Tiny Demon: 0. If he can keep up this self-control and tamp down his impulsive nature bit by bit, people at school might not even recognise him.

  
  


“Now now, no need to shoot down at my confidence like that ‘Jun, you know I have my insecurities.” 

  
  


“If it helps any, I think you’re perfect just the way you are Yuk’.” Now that line has Yukhei choking on his spit, even more winded when he sees the sincerity in Renjun’s eyes, the windows to his best friend—his crush’s soul, that have never lied to Yukhei.

  
  


“Wow, I— thanks Renjun,” is all he can muster out without popping a vessel and Renjun smiles at him.

  
  


“Silly, I’m sure you know that already.”

  
  


Hearing Renjun verbalise something they’ve never truly uttered in real life but have always thought in the back of their minds since they were young, to hear that Renjun thinks Yukhei’s _perfect_ , to think that Renjun thinks about him the same way he does about the younger— Yukhei: -1000, Tiny Demon: 3000

  
  


“Renjun—” Yukhei gasps out.

  
  


“ _Gor_? Do you need some water? Some air?” Renjun puts his hands around Yukhei’s shoulders, concern etched onto his face and Lord, Yukhei so smitten, he might just implode in his living room. Renjun is so beautiful even when he’s clearly worried beyond his wits at Yukhei’s uncharacteristic silence. 

“Let’s go to the park,” he breathes out and Renjun nods, pulling his hoodie over his head and Yukhei gathers himself enough to put on his own jacket and shuck on his sneakers.

  
  


The walk to the park is a brisk one, the cold wind nipping at their faces and Renjun hides his face in his hoodie, snuggling into Yukhei’s side with a sigh that comes out in white puffs.

  
  


“Here, take this,” Yukhei drapes his varsity jacket on Renjun and wow, the three words are ready to jump out of his throat any minute now. Renjun is drowning in the thing, shoulder pads extending way past his and the sleeves reaching inches past his fingers. 

  
  


“If you catch a cold, it’s not my fault,” Renjun sniffles, looking at Yukhei’s thin long sleeve before curling his arm into his. Yukhei is as toasty as can be.

  
  


He wipes down the exact same bench from all those years ago and gestures Renjun to sit down.

  
  


There’s something so raw about Renjun in the way that his emotions are hardly masked by his eyes. He’s been this way ever since Yukhei moved here and first met him and yet, as they grew into their skins, older, wiser, though that’s arguable in Yukhei’s case, and as mature as two high schoolers can be, Yukhei wonders when his love for his best friend began to manifest into something as indispensable and tangible as it is now. It’s always thrumming in his veins it seems, and the way he experiences every emotion so viscerally around Renjun is almost absurd. But again, Yukhei is nothing but an open book, with his big heart hanging on the sleeves of his extra-large clothes that Renjun physically and emotionally tugs at every day whether he knows it or not.

  
  


“Yukhei? Are you alright?” Yukhei clears his throat, unsure how long his spiel had gone on for but he shakes his head.

  
  


“Doing absolutely fantastic, you?” 

  
  


“Fine? Okay, come on spit it out, whatever it is, it’s making you—” Renjun waves his hands around to gesture wildly at Yukhei and Yukhei catches his hands mid-air.

  
  


“Little Huang, Jun, Junnie, Renjun, I—” There’s a cyclical nature to their friendship, the way it could grow or end completely right here in the spot where it all started, and it scares Yukhei to death. Life without Renjun is not something he wants to ever entertain, but when Renjun leans in closer to hear what he has to say, his hands clasped around Yukhei, squeezing them softly, the words start tumbling out. 

  
  


“I think I like— no, I might love you Renjun. I’m still not sure when it all started, this searing sensation every time I saw you at school, or during dinners when you laughed at my Mario Kart losses, or when you first told me about how pretty Jilin was in the winter, or when you showed me your first artworks and hid underneath your blanket when I told you they were beautiful, or when— when you started talking about Mark Lee and that searing sensation almost ate me up inside.”

  
  


Renjun is silent, not unlike how he is usually, especially when he’s listening to someone. But he signals Yukhei to go on, hands gripping his tightly as they face each other on this stupidly cold park bench. Yukhei doesn’t know if he’s crying or his face is wet with the rain that began to sprinkle on them when he started talking. This feels snipped straight out of a movie. Yukhei doesn’t mull over how that might parallel his own love story. 

  
  


“Can you believe that I was jealous? When you started talking about him with this glitter in your eyes, that I wished desperately appeared when you looked at me? But the funny thing is, everybody except me it seemed, knew that Mark was dating Dejun and I was just an envious fool that was in love with his best friend. A fool that waxed poetic about him every other hour, that didn’t spend time with his own friends because he wanted to shell that time out for his best friend, that realised how unhealthy that was for his cherished friendships and finally, after a mortifying realisation that maybe, everybody except this fool it seemed, knew that him and his best friend were what you would call soulmates, and he was going to have to do something about it.” 

  
  


Yukhei is fully aware about how cheesy it sounds talking about yourself in third person is, but by the way Renjun is biting his lip, eyes glassy, and not shying away from Yukhei, who leans ever closer, so close that he can count his eyelashes and see every imperfection and scar on his face, maybe it’s working.

  
  


“Renjun Huang, ever since we were twelve and you called me Yukhei gor for the first time, I knew there was something special about you, and I hope, God I _really_ hope I’m not wrong in assuming you feel the way,” 

  
  


“Yukhei—” 

  
  


Renjun brings his hands away from Yukhei’s and to cup his cheeks, and in the light of the moon, dappled across the trees and casting one straight line across Renjun’s visage, Yukhei sees glitter. Stars. The whole galaxy in those crystal clear irises.

  
  


“Yukhei, I know I said that you’re wrong about a lot of things, but not about this.”

  
  


And like that, the fireworks sound and the tiny demon starts to dance around his brain and the rain starts to pour and oh, Renjun is kissing him. 

  
  


It’s every bit as magical as Yukhei imagined, Renjun’s mouth on his, all sweet and soft and warm and something Yukhei wants to absorb into his chest. The searing sensation erupts and he almost falls onto Renjun trying to chase after his lips and Renjun giggles, pressing one last kiss on his mouth before he breathes out.

  
  


“You’re more feral than I imagined,” 

  
  


Yukhei flushes immediately, recoiling to the far end of the bench and Renjun lets out a cackle, wet bangs plastered to his forehead as he grabs Yukhei’s hands again.

  
  


“I love you too Yukhei, and I’m sorry it took us this long.” Renjun pulls Yukhei close to him, so close the tips of their noses touch. The rain is unrelenting now and Yukhei is sure he’s going to catch something tomorrow morning.

  
  


“Don’t apologise, it was worth the wait.” 

  
  


And like that, the movie ends, the iris out in a heart shape with them two in it, sitting on a park bench as the rain drenches them both. 

  
  


Sure, Wong Yukhei does love Huang Renjun enough to be okay with him falling in love with someone else, but with Pretty Mark Lee out of the picture and Wong Yukhei with Huang Renjun in his arms, he might have to go back on that statement.

**little spoon @dejunxiao_88**

5m 

is it just me or did yukhei do the thing

**replying to @dejunxiao_88**

**drumming legend @wongkh**

1s

YOU’RE KIDDING 

**fullsun @666_ldh**

3m

expressing my sincere apologies again to 

**@00_hrj** for my terrible behaviour yday

but also… props to me for sparking 

the relationship of the decade

**replying to @666_ldh**

**drake’s protege @10_lyy**

2s

?????????

**replying to @666_ldh and @10_lyy**

**jaems @13_njm**

say what

**replying to @666_ldh, @10_lyy and @13_njm**

**je-nope @23_ljn**

omg hyuck you didn’t

**little huang @00_hrj**

10s

can’t wait to grab cake w **@wongyk**

after school to mark this day <33

**replying to @00_hrj**

**big huang @wongyk**

1s

you got it boyfriend <33

**drake’s protege @10_lyy**

2s

HOLY SHITTTTTT OH MY GODDDDDD

 **@666_ldh** I CAN’T BELIEVE U DID THAT

**big spoon @marklee_99**

2s

no watermelon in my fruit salad today

sad times

**replying to @marklee_99**

**little spoon @dejunxiao_88**

thank you king ;-)

**Author's Note:**

> you know what time it is... favourite line?
> 
> oaf xxxxxx
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/_norencult) \+ [cc](https://curiouscat.me/98mbins)


End file.
